xbox 360

You grew up on Mario Kart, but that's just it -- you've grown up. But... not entirely. You still want to grip a controller and curse at a screen and burn rubber without having to see (real) flashing lights in the rearview. You want risk life and limb in the pursuit of speed -- but not actually, you know, risk life and limb. Stretch your thumbs and be prepared to make up for the drudgery of that godawful commute this morning: here are the best racing games for most every platform.

It’s been nearly 10 years since a video game pulled us through the living nightmare that was the life of Max Payne. Much to the pleasure of fans worldwide, everyone’s favorite tormented soul is back and so is Bullet Time. Max Payne 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) continues where the second installment left off, with...

The earliest video games like NIMROD, tic-tac-toe, Tennis for Two and Spacewar! were more like pet hobbies by MIT genius tinkerers than a mainstream entertainment discovery. They were born in the 1950s and 60s, out of basic radar display technology and consisted of an analog interface and vector-drawn dots. It wasn’t until the early 70s...

While Christopher Nolan certainly deserves the lion’s share of credit for molding the caped crusader into his 21st century, cash-raining form, the impact of game developer Rocksteady on Batman’s recent popularity can’t be downplayed. Batman: Arkham Asylum was slathered with praise in the video game community, leaving the follow up title, Arkham City, with some...

A sense of truly free will is an incredibly difficult thing to pull off in a video game. Taking into account a seemingly infinite number of player choices and possibilities just gets messy in the hands of typical game designers. Deus Ex: Human Revolution ($59) still requires some clunky traditional game baggage like boss fights...

Though most diehard driving gamers will find the action of the new Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel ($60) a bit lacking due to the rather conspicuous absence of a steering column, brake/gas pedals and a shift knob, it certainly caters to those who prefer their seating arrangements in the extreme couch potato position. Lightweight,...

Zombie games are a dime a dozen, but Dead Island ($60) has a few intriguing tweaks worth paying attention to. The most obvious is its tropical paradise setting on the fictional South Pacific island of Banoi. Here, the flagship Royal Palms Resort serves as the ultimate vacation spot, until a contagious outbreak transforms most of...

Hold onto your quarter rolls. After a decade of waiting, Marvel vs.Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds will be release on February 15th, making its way to living rooms on either Xbox 360 or PS3. Old standby’s like Ryu and Wolverine have returned to throw down with over 30 new characters from both the Marvel...

Sure, the new Xbox Wireless Controller with Twist D-pad ($65) features a smooth matte silver finish along with spiffy monochrome buttons, but it’s the new transforming D-pad that gives our hadouken launching fingers pause. With a simple twist, the D-pad’s directional bars rise a 1/4″ to give traditional gamers (especially fighting games) new found life...

Depending in part on how and where you spent your formative years, you should understand the following statement: nothing in the sporting world compares to the excitement of college football. Of course, you’re entitled to disagree or to blow your vuvuzela in protest, but you’d be just plain wrong. That’s why today we salute EA...

Taking place 10 years after the events of Crackdown, 2007’s Xbox 360 hit, the sequel offers a return to Pacific City. However, this go-round, the city isn’t overrun by a variety of crime syndicates – instead it’s been destroyed by the nightly emergence of a Freak horde; daytime’s little better, as armed citizens have banded...

Children’s Miracle Network and Microsoft have teamed to provide three pediatric hospitals with an what their calling the Ultimate Gameroom. Apparently they got wind our Gear Patrol’s very own Nerf Charity Giveaway and decided to one-up us in a major way. Specific details for just what this Ultimate Gameroom consists of are scarce, but you...

There’s nothing like waking up to a crisp Autumn morning, your body shivering thanks to the open bedroom window, to remind you that time flies. Somehow, summer is behind us, and we are on a steady march towards the holidays and the new year to come. Don’t fret though, as 2009 still has a few...

Every release in the Halo series is preceded by massive hype and met with great jubiliation by fanboys everywhere. Today’s release of Halo 3: ODST is no exception. Billed as something of an expansion to Halo 3, ODST finds the player Master Chief-less and playing the role of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper roaming New...

We've heard it said that Batman: Arkham Asylum is the year's best game. We wanted to spend some quality time of our own with the Dark Knight, before passing judgment. Having done so, we're hard pressed to disagree with all the hype. Check our full take here.

We’re back with the second installment of our 10 Best Video Games feature, and this week’s post addresses our recommended plays for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. You all chimed in with some great comments and tweets regarding last week’s PS3 listings and you are encouraged to do the same here. Again, bear in mind that...

Way back in the waning months of the original Xbox’s life-cycle, the little-known Swedish outfit Starbreeze Studios released a surprise gem in The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. I say surprising because, generally speaking, movie tie-in games are destined for pure suckdom. Escape from Butcher Bay was anything but. Escape, which came packed...

The Ear Force X4 Wireless Surround Sound Headphones are the absolute best solution for bringing the room-filling sound of your favorite Xbox 360 games straight to your brain. With the X4 from Turtle Beach you can play without disturbing anyone - and without sacrificing sound quality.

No Device Left Un-Oranged Gear Patrol Custom ColorWare Xbox 360 I hope that I’m not being too presumptuous, but it’s likely that you, the Gear Patrol reader, take some measure of pride in having the latest and greatest bits of consumer technology. It goes without saying that we do, too. After all, why do you...

It’s Easier To Pick The Leader Of The Free World The only choice able to rival the consternation facing undecided civic duty-doers today might be taking a stand for one of this week’s blockbuster new releases. Fear not, for unlike your singular opportunity to pull that hallowed lever, nothing but your budget can prevent you...

Apparently, Choices Do Have Consequences Fable II’s exclusive Xbox 360 release represents yet another blockbuster offering in this season’s video game line up. As the sequel to one of the flagship games of the original Xbox era, Fable II takes the original’s formula and improves on it in nearly every way. In case you don’t...

Rejoice Ye Fans Of Fake Instruments Headlining this week’s lineup of video game releases is the mother of all rhythmic cash cows, Rock Band 2. From the “don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it department,” there’s simply no better way to take a failed evening plan and turn into a rollicking good time. Every man...

Five games, One Box. Anyway you cut it, that’s a lot for one price and five good ones at that. The best part is you can get it today. The new package from Valve includes two critically acclaimed games Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode 1. It also includes three all new games: Half-Life 2...

If there was ever a game to get revved up about, this is it. Taking up where its award-winning predecessor left off, Forza Motorsport 2 gives you pure racing excitement with next-generation quality. From more than 300 fully customizable cars to ultrarealistic portrayals of famous racetracks around the globe, you’ll find everything you need here...

It’s finally here. The fabled Xbox 360 Elite that’s been abuzz for far longer than it ever should have been… not that we weren’t monitoring it for you. It comes loaded to the teeth and shows the folks at Sony exactly how business is done by including high quality cables and components for full connectivity....